Joseph R. Fischer: The First Indian War

Historian Joseph R. Fischer presents The First Indian War: The Continental Army’s Campaign Against the Iroquois on Wednesday, February 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Fischer is the author of A Well-Executed Failure: The Sullivan Campaign Against the Iroquois, July-September 1779. Major General John Sullivan’s expedition was intended to punish the Iroquois Confederacy for raids in western New York. While it succeeded in destroying much of the Iroquois land, the expedition is widely considered to have failed because it did not prompt the Iroquois to abandon the conflict.

Fischer suggests that the historical focus on the campaign’s failure has overshadowed its importance as a vehicle for understanding the continental Army at a turning point in the Revolutionary War. He says the expedition provides exceptional insight into the growing professionalism of George Washington’s military.

Fischer is an associate professor of military history at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. A 30-year veteran of the United States Army, Fischer taught military history at the United States Military Academy at West Point prior to moving to Fort Leavenworth.

Copies of A Well-Executed Failure will be available for sale, and Fischer will sign copies purchased during the event.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Click here to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage at 10th & Baltimore.